DITLife December 12, 20015

Skipping a blog post?  Guilty as charged!

Last month I had a major surgery just 4 days before I was supposed to write my DITLife blogpost.  Since I could hardly get out of bed, and was definitely hopped up on *prescribed* pain kills, I thought it would be okay for me to skip that month.  Pretty sure I made the right call because I think anything I posted would've been non-coherent anyway.

So I'm a month out of my surgery, and still home recovering.  I'm blessed to work in an amazing district that is allowing me the opportunity to work from home, when I can, until I am fully recovered.  I think it also helps that I'm a coach, so there isn't a substitute teacher taking over for me back at school.  If this happened while I was a classroom teacher, I think I would be propping myself up behind my desk trying to muddle through the Percocet haze, pain, and frequent nausea because it would be better than stressing at home about how my class was going.  For the record, teachers are the hardest working people in the world. FACT.  Also, everyone needs to know that for a teacher, it is MUCH easier to go into work sick than it is to take the day off.   

Today was a Monday, so I should have done some work, but in all honesty, today was a bad day for me and I spent most of the day asleep trying to feel better. 

In the few hours I was awake, I replied to a few emails and followed up with some teachers about issues that they had asked me about last week.  Nothing very exciting.  I'm in my jammies still, fighting the urge to throw up the chicken noodle soup I had for lunch, and getting excited to watch the Patriots play the Ravens tonight.

Since this post is so boring, and my "day in the life" was pretty uneventful, I will use this post to talk about some things that I've been thinking about lately.  Recently, someone put my twitter handle on a list of 70 Must Follow Math Educators.  I was extremely flattered, but also very humbled.  I've been thinking fretting about how little I contribute to the twitter world, and MTBoS in general.  I check my timeline frequently and true confession:  I'm flat out intimidated.  The amount of brilliance shared by my fellow math educators across the country is overwhelming.  Often I read their tweets and think, '"I know nothing, what am I even doing here?!"  

It's scary.

I'm not afraid to admit that either.  I suspect that because I have the title of "Math Coach" many people feel I must know a lot, but truth is I feel like a first year teacher all over again.  I'm just opening my eyes to this new world of really energized, thought-provoking, and wonderful math instruction.  I always loved teaching my math classes, and my students were truly engaged mathematicians, but there's so many great ideas and amazing things that I'm eager to try, all because of what I learned on twitter.  

Twitter is the BEST professional development.  

So maybe this makes me a bad math coach, but the way I see it, maybe it makes me a good one.  I never claimed to know everything, and I'm so thankful to have this PLN to help me learn and grow as an educator.  My resolution is to contribute more to twitter, the MTBoS, and really earn my spot on that list of the 70 Math Educators to Follow.

Reflection Questions

1) Teachers make a lot of decisions throughout the day.  Sometimes we make so many it feels overwhelming.  When you think about today, what is a decision/teacher move you made that you are proud of?  What is one you are worried wasn’t ideal?

This is such a silly answer, but I think the smartest decision I made was to NOT rush back to work.  I really really wanted to go back to work after 2 weeks post-op.  My husband said that was stupid, my principal said that was stupid, my colleagues said that was stupid.  Guess what, they were all right.  It was stupid to think I could go back to the stress of work, plus all the physical activity I would've been doing.  Today was a perfect example of why I'm thankful I'm still able to stay home and rest and recover; I need it!

2) Every person’s life is full of highs and lows.  Share with us some of what that is like for a teacher.  What are you looking forward to?  What has been a challenge for you lately?

I'm so looking forward to going back to work and getting back into the swing of things.  I'm very busy planning our family math night for January 19th right now, and I'm excited to see how that goes.  It's been a challenge to coach from home though, but I'm trying my best.  I've been emailing back and forth with a few teachers, but it's hard to not be there and be in the classrooms.  I'm making the most of the situation though and and working with the situation.

3) We are reminded constantly of how relational teaching is.  As teachers we work to build relationships with our coworkers and students.  Describe a relational moment you had with someone recently.

I just love every single person I work with.  Being home for the last month has showed me their compassion and concern for my well being.  They set up a sign up system and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, someone has made me a meal and delivered it to me.  I mean, who does that?!  People who care, that's who.  T'is the season of being humbled I suppose. 

4) Teachers are always working on improving, and often have specific goals for things to work on throughout a year. What have you been doing to work toward your goal?  How do you feel you are doing?

Well I did have a goal to participate in at least one twitter chat a month.  I've totally failed in that goal.  I did one in September, but none since.  The best way to contribute more to this community is to join in on these chats, so I'm going to start putting them into my calendars and making it a priority to participate in more.  

5) What else happened this month that you would like to share?

Not this month.  This month can be summed up in a few words:  books, Hallmark movies, the Crown, Good Girls Revolt, Price is Right.